Bavaria demands simpler rules for wolf shooting from the federal government
Bavaria is calling on Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) to lower the legal hurdles and protection status to make it easier to shoot wolves. "It must be easier to shoot wolves", Bavaria's Environment Minister Thorsten Glauber (Free Voters) told the German Press Agency in Munich. Although it was pleasing that the federal government had now presented its own proposals for dealing with wolves "as a first step", these were not enough.
The topic of wolves is also on the agenda at the conference of federal and state environment ministers in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, which runs until Friday. The federal states want to discuss the proposals for dealing with wolves presented by Lemke in mid-October.
"It is already possible to shoot individual conspicuous wolves today. We don't need legal advice, we need a change in the law. The federal government must finally do its homework," emphasized Glauber. From Bavaria's point of view, the federal government and the EU are called upon to initiate legal changes that have been called for for years. "In particular, Bavaria expects the federal government to fully implement the Habitats Directive in order to enable regionally differentiated population management and to lobby the EU to lower the protection status of the wolf."
"We are on the side of livestock farmers and the alpine pasture sector. Grazing livestock farmers are important partners in preserving biodiversity and habitats in the cultural landscape," said Glauber. The interests of the population, livestock farmers, animal welfare and biodiversity must play a central role in dealing with the wolf. "Something has to change when it comes to wolves."
The conference of environment ministers in Münster will discuss the issue of wolves and in particular the proposals publicly presented by Federal Minister Lemke in mid-October. Glauber also pointed out that Bavaria had already made possible "what is legally possible" with its own wolf ordinance. This is also about preserving biodiversity in the Alpine region.
In a motion at the conference, Bavaria also called on the federal government to forgo planned funding cuts of 290 million euros in the joint task of "improving agricultural structures and coastal protection" (GAK). "The federal government's plans will have a massive impact on rural areas," said Glauber. In many federal states, the funding of central nature conservation projects is at risk. "In the coalition agreement, the coalition parties had announced a strengthening of contractual nature conservation."
The environmental policy discussion on wolf management continues at the federal and state ministers' conference in Münster, with Bavaria advocating for a change in law to ease shooting restrictions. The European Union and the federal government are urged by Bavaria to amend legislation that has been long overdue, considering the wolf's impact on livestock farming and biodiversity. Meanwhile, scientific conferences on environmental policies may provide valuable insights to inform decision-making, potentially leading to more balanced wildlife management practices.
Source: www.dpa.com
